The present invention relates to golf ball washers and more particularly to a kit for replacing the head of existing golf ball washers with a more sanitary and environmentally-friendly cleaning mechanism.
As shown most clearly in FIG. 1, popular current golf ball washers 1 comprise a top portion 2, including an associated heavy-brush assembly 3 (FIG. 2A), which are respectively positioned on top and inside a “head” 4 which typically contains water (not shown). See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,807,037 (Garske), which is also incorporated by reference herein. To wash a golf ball (not shown), a gripping knob 3A (at the upper end of the heavy brush assembly 3) is pulled upward, the dirty golf ball inserted in the brush assembly 3, and then the brush assembly 3 with the golf ball are “aggressively” reciprocated up and down to “clean” the dirty golf ball through repeated reciprocations by the golfer, until the golf ball is deemed clean. The golfer can then dry off the ball using the towels 5 hanging on either side of the post 6 supported on a base 7.
However, this design has several inherent flaws: (1) the water gets progressively more dirty and filthy with each use; (2) sunlight, warmth and water cause bacteria growth which often causes the water to become increasingly foul-smelling and germ-concentrated; (3) this bacteria often lingers on a golfer's hands which can be transferred to food or other people, putting everyone at risk for illness; (4) the many parts often become rusty, break and need replacing; (5) because the water becomes progressively more dirty and foul-smelling with every use, loss of water due to splashing, and often mechanical break downs, these conventional ball washers need constant attention for refilling, cleaning and mechanical repair; and (5) the only golf-related item that can be cleaned using this design is a golf ball; no other golf related equipment can be cleaned with a conventional cleaning mechanism (other than with the towels 5).
FIG. 7 depicts another style of conventional golf ball washing machines that uses a crank mechanism rather than a heavy brush assembly that is reciprocated into a washing head (see FIG. 1). Referred to as “Classic Ball Washer” (manufactured by Standard Golf Company of Cedar Falls, Iowa) this golf ball washer 1A comprises a head 1B having a pivoting lid 1C and a crank handle 1D. A towel hook 1E is also provided for holding a towel (not shown) to dry the cleaned ball. The head 1B is positioned on a shaft 6A having a bottom end that is positioned within a base ring 7B of a base 7A. To use the washer 1A, the user lifts open the lid 1C, places a dirty golf ball into the head 1B which is filled with water or soap, closes the lid 1C and then cranks the handle 1D once which forces the “dirty” golf ball through the water and returns it to the top of the head 1A where the user then lifts open the lid 1C to retrieve his/her washed ball. However, this design suffers from the same inherent flaws discussed previously with regard to FIG. 1.
Thus, there remains a need for a golf ball cleaning mechanism that can be used with these conventional golf ball washers but which do not suffer from the above-identified problems and wherein this cleaning mechanism can be easily installed for a variety of differently-shaped heads of these conventional golf ball washers or for replacing the entire ball washer and shaft of this style of conventional golf ball washers.
All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.